Playlist: It takes time - Good music doesn't always pop out of nowhere; sometimes we have to search it out

Web posted January 20, 2011

By Libby Sterling | JUNEAU EMPIRE

If I knew my life was coming to an end at a certain hour, I’d likely become much more protective of my time than I am already. Say I’d been given exactly one month before my days on Earth would end: I probably wouldn’t take a risk on a movie or other entertainment vehicle that might only be so-so when I could participate in some other activity guaranteed to bring enjoyment in my final moments.

I don’t watch a lot of movies for the aforementioned reason — I’m not dying any more quickly than the average human, as far as I know, but I still don’t like to take risks with my time. Perhaps this is why I’m so drawn to music. The time investment is low-risk, the return can be hefty and as a media form, music lends itself well to multitasking.

Despite the vast amounts of incredible new music being created in the world, it’s all too easy to stick with what we know, not venturing into the realm of new releases for fear of wasting money, time or both. For those of you with reservations about investing in the unknown corners of the music world, I’ve done a little bit of the work for you.

“Valhalla Dancehall” by British Sea Power

Despite my unfamiliarity with British Sea Power, which has been around for more than a decade, “Valhalla Dancehall” sounded familiar from first listen. It’s not that the Britpop group doesn’t have its own unique sound — I’ve put the album on my playlist, but I also might not miss it too terribly if it went missing.

Brothers Yan Scott Wilkinson and Neil Hamilton Wilkinson both contribute to the group with vocals that embellish pleasant, yet sometimes overpowering, instrumentals. The tone of their vocals is memorable and provides a different feel than that of other competing bands.

You have to work hard for many of the lyrics, which often sound obscured by filters and buried beneath high instrument levels. Lyrics weren’t easily found online, nor were they included in my electronic review copy, but given that the album was just released last week I’m sure they will start popping up on fan sites in no time.

Musically, this album is high contrast, dynamically covering a lot of ground. Each track varies from the others, one more passive and another more powerful. The group often explores both dark and light areas within a single song, which keeps my ears on their toes.

I can’t say that “Valhalla Dancehall” touches my soul in any particular way, but it’s still surprisingly enjoyable in a way that I don’t feel the need to explain further.

“Cackalack” by Jonathan Byrd

I’ve never been to North Carolina, or any Carolina for that matter, but Jonathan Byrd has got “enough North Carolina in him for everyone” no matter where he goes, writes vocalist Corin Raymond about Byrd’s new release. “Cackalack” was released this week by Waterbug Records, bringing a taste of the Carolinian to the rest of us.

The album reminds me of any Los Angeles County freeway a few hours before or after rush hour proper — stop and go. Things start out with a very down home feel in “Chicken Wire.” The tune bounces along at a moderate tempo with good movement in its simplicity, embellished by conservative banjo picking, awakening fiddling and laid-back group vocals.

Then, just as the momentum is building “Wild Ponies” comes along and takes things down a few notches — far too many notches, in my opinion. Track three, “I Was An Oak Tree,” brings things halfway back up to speed with pretty guitar work leading up to a bit more bounce by the end. By track four, “Reckon I Did,” we’re back down home with rugged fiddling and more of the group singing that gave the album its great start. But don’t get too excited, because things are about to slow down again.

If you like extremely low-key ballads, most of this album’s even-numbered tracks will probably do it for you. If you enjoy a bit of down home bounce as I do, sample more of the odds.

In general, “Cackalack” is tastefully recorded. The high points are really high; I could see myself listening to tunes like “Dungarees Overalls,” “White Oak Wood” and “Chicken Wire” over and over, but I could happily live without the less lively in-betweens. Variety is great, but in this case it’s a bit too dramatic for me. Then again, maybe that’s what North Carolina is all about — I wouldn’t know.

Playlist: Happy Music Year

Web posted January 6, 2011

By Libby Sterling | JUNEAU EMPIRE

New Year’s Day is such a better holiday than Christmas. The only traditional purchase to make is alcohol, which for many isn’t different from any other weekend. The only guilt surrounding the holiday is self-imposed on the subject of resolutions, rather than in relation to gift-getting. There are no rules about how the holiday is to be celebrated — anything goes.

“Happy New Year” is a more generous greeting than most Christmas salutations — it’s one phrase to last a whole 365 days. I received many New Year’s wishes in the last week, but my favorite — and in my judgment the most genuine — came from a runner I passed while on a Jan. 1 run of my own.

When I’m on a run, people in my vicinity probably think I’m a huge jerk. I’m often not wearing my glasses, and if I am the lenses usually end up getting fogged up or covered in rain, so my eyes easily miss anyone who may wave to me from more than six feet away. My ears are also usually plugged with earbuds blasting public radio or some music I’ll be reviewing in a future column. The volume is generally low enough to hear a car sneak up on me, but often too high to hear the “hello” of a human voice.

But as I climbed that hill on Saturday, I passed a man as he descended. He was wearing a healthy grin, one of someone who loves to get out and sweat even on the grayest and soggiest of days. He looked as if he might burst into song as he trod along, and we exchanged the appropriate holiday greeting of the day as we passed. His was much more enthusiastic than mine, and his words transferred an energy to me that I carried with me for the following miles.

Now by this point, the new year is old news, and belated greetings are losing their momentum. However, 2011 is young and we have a lot to look forward to.

Locally, a number of musical events are on the horizon with even more to be announced. The Calder Quartet will grace the Thunder Mountain High School auditorium in March. The Alaska Folk Festival will be held April 11-17 and is sure to be a week of good music overload — start preparing yourselves now. The Southeast Alaska State Fair will be held July 28-31 in Haines, and will feature a number of regional and outside acts. The fair towns of Sitka and Ketchikan will hold their Monthly Grinds throughout the summer — not to mention Prince of Wales Island, the residents of which hold great grinds, so I’ve heard — featuring their local talent and whoever happens to be passing through at the time.

If all else fails, you’ll probably receive a handful of phone calls this year from friends, who will say, “There’s this great band playing tonight that I just heard about, do you want to go check them out with me?” Don’t turn them down.

If you’re bringing an outside act to town, or producing a concert for a local artist, be sure to promote the event appropriately. There’s nothing more disappointing — to the artist and to their potential audience — if the word isn’t effectively spread. Kari Groven at the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council has prepared a very helpful document to assist first-timers in promoting local events. View it at www. jahc.org/services/how-to-promote-your-event.

Internationally, there is more music being created than ever before. This year, I’ll welcome reader suggestions for new releases worth investigating, and I resolve to bring you the best of my findings as I did through boxes of CDs and folders of MP3s. Happy listening.

Playlist: Organized disorder - Some of the world's finest music has roots in seeming chaos

Web Posted December 30, 2010

By Libby Sterling | Juneau Empire

You may never suspect it, but a lot of your friends and colleagues are living life by the skin of their teeth. Even the ones who seem to have things especially together may be the most frazzled in the privacy of their own home. Here at this season of end-of-year deadlines piled on top of regular daily business, your so-called perfect fellow humans are likely losing sleep trying to maintain their sanity.

The evidence may or may not be obvious, but if you look hard enough you'll see it's there - maybe their desk or apartment is messier than usual, or their ungroomed hair is well-hidden beneath a really cute hat. Some try harder than others to conceal their lack of togetherness, and some care more than others whether or not their image is damaged by the slipups.

Either way, none of us are perfect, and I like to think that those of us who embrace this truth are the most content in life, regardless of what our cohorts may think. The chaos many of us try to avoid is greatly celebrated in certain circles. Musically, some of the best tunes ever created were born out of chaos, the best of which can be tough to recreate.

Jazz has often been described as "organized chaos." Depending on one's perspective, the seeming lawlenessness of a jazz trio can provoke different reactions - to an untrained listener, understanding need not precede enjoyment, but to a member of the trio, the music may seem anything but lawless.

It would be foolish of me to attempt to dissect the origins or explain the anatomy of jazz or free form music, but I will suggest a few recent releases that have enhanced my relationship with the genre.

"Entanglement" by Harp 46

Harpist April Stace Vega has never let the oddity of her instrument keep her from pursuing styles of music in which a harp wouldn't typically be found. She has performed with the instrument in rock and classical settings, and now collaborates with percussionist and dulcimerist Nucleo Vega and bassist Posido Vega under the name Harp 46.

This, the group's first album, is strong for a debut. First of all, it captures my attention simply because of the instrumental diversity, but the variance doesn't stop there. From beginning to end, the album explores a handful of different styles, some with a definite classical influence, others journeying into the realms of rock.

If you hate the timbre of harp in general, the creativeness and originality found in this album may not be enough to please you. In any case, "Entanglement" offers a unique listening experience that will take your ears to new places from which they may never fully return.

"Looking For..." by Steve Ramsdell

This one is a couple years old, but to me it is a new discovery. Guitarist Steve Ramsdell and his buddies create a nice mix of many things on this album, a journey from structure to freedom and back again. With a master's degree in jazz pedagogy and a bachelor's in guitar performance, Ramsdell is well-qualified to stretch music the way that he does.

He describes and briefly comments on each track in the CD's liner notes, even describing each song's time signature, or lack thereof. Track nine, "Red Box," is described as "7/8 for the most part ... acoustic ... an episode composed in Sedona, Arizona ... red rocks, shifting meters, etc..." Other pieces beat up to 11, while a few free solos and duets prove that no consistent beat is necessary for a song's success.

If it weren't for Ramsdell's notations, I'd need to leave many tracks on repeat until I could accurately count to them and figure them out. His compositions are complex, yet totally digestible and pleasant on every occasion. I'd highly recommend "Looking For..." to longtime jazz lovers and newcomers alike.

"One Stolen Night" by the John Jorgenson Quintet

John Jorgenson and his gypsy jazz cohorts have put together a fine product in "One Stolen Night," released earlier this year. Jason Anick's violinning, which often doubles a melody also played by the guitar, is superb. The groove is set from the very first track, "Red on Red," with Anick's fiddle and Jorgenson's guitar solos backed by Simon Planting on bass, Rick Reed on percussion and Kevin Nolan on rhythm guitar. Though things slow down a bit after this, by track four, "Mediterranean Blues," it's clear that the momentum is still building.

There is so much liveliness in gypsy jazz - there are certainly similarities to other types of jazz, including the most traditional forms, but there's a uniqueness about the style that a lot of people, myself included, can't get enough of. One element is certainly the violin, which only occasionally appears in most jazz sets.

I know I already mentioned him a few inches ago, but Anick really kills it all over this album. Regardless, I wouldn't go changing the name of the quartet as Jorgenson truly is the star of this show, switching seamlessly between lead guitar, bouzouki (a Greek mandolin-type instrument), clarinet and soprano saxophone, and even throwing in a vocal line on "Dr. Jazz."

This music would be great for dancing or lovely at a party, but it's also great for simply sitting and contemplating. However, if the latter is your preferred listening method, I doubt you'll be sitting for too long before your toes voluntarily begin to tap.

Playlist: New essentials

Web Posted December 23, 2010

By Libby Sterling | Juneau Empire

Ah, the holidays. This is the time of year when my addiction to so-called "Christmas" music is briefly viewed as normal behavior. Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" and Vince Guaraldi's soundtracks to the "Peanuts" television specials are some of the most popular year-round tunes on my playlist, but they have caused raised eyebrows among friends when I've put them on out of season.

Somehow, this season I've had too much else in my headphones to flip on "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" more than a couple of times. This year's music scene has surprised me with a few titles I hadn't been expecting, but have now become essentials that I can't live without.

"Big Echo" by The Morning Benders

My introduction to this group was via a friend's recommendation to view an online video of a live performance of the album's first track, "Excuses." In the video, the four-piece became an orchestra directed by lead singer Christopher Chu, in his attempt to create the "wall of sound" he felt the piece deserved. In the video, violins open the tune, playing the part that is just as excellently played on guitar on the album version of the song. Each recording captures a composition that is everything I've ever wanted in a song; dynamics, instrumental variety, balance, emotion and thought. It's lyrically strong as well, with lines like "I made an excuse / you found another way to tell the truth ..."

I haven't yet bonded with the rest of the album as much as I have with "Excuses," but it's all worthy of dedicated listening time. The ratio of upbeat to mellow numbers is satisfying, and the momentum builds to the end with a grand finale on track ten, "Sleeping In." This album is one to keep on the top shelf for a while.

"Penny Sparkle" by Blonde Redhead

Given my general pickiness in female vocalists, I'm surprised how much I have enjoyed the music of Blonde Redhead over the years. The voice of lead singer Kazu Makino is unique; its range is broad and sounds overstretched in the higher registers, even - dare I say - whiny at times. Normally, this would drive me to delete an album from my library, but there's something about Makino and her bandmates that instantly drew me into their sound from the beginning and have kept them on my list of favorites for some time.

The feel of "Penny Sparkle" is both familiar and new in comparison to their past work. On first listen, its first five tracks brought me abreast to the modifications they've made to their sound since their last couple albums - smoother instrumentals, more mellow vocals and more of a spacey feel, for lack of a better term. Then, upon hearing track five, "Oslo," I was instantly taken back to the first time I heard their 1997 release, "Fake Can Be Just As Good." Until "Oslo," it seems as if Makino had been holding back a bit on the vocals, waiting for the perfect time to get back to her basics. The rest of the album continues in this vein, as if the band felt they needed to try something new for a bit to get it out of their system, but then get back to their raw signature sound, contemporized as it may be.

Blonde Redhead's individual songs stand well on their own, but this isn't the type of group I'd recommend buying singles from unless you want to miss out on the big picture they create with their full-length releases. It's obvious there is a large amount of thought put into their albums as a whole, if not also in the progression of their entire catalog. There isn't a single song they have released that I wouldn't recommend for purchase.

"Let Me Come Home" by Broken Records

This is Broken Records' second album, yet the first time I've heard of them. The seven-piece band is based in the UK, where "Let Me Come Home" was released in October; the album is scheduled for release in North America in January.

Even though I've never heard Broken Records' music, there is a familiarity that makes it easy to listen to from the beginning. If you like Arcade Fire, you'll find a similar progressive sound in Broken Records. Lead singer Jamie Sutherland also bears a striking audible resemblance to Will Oldham (better known as Bonnie "Prince" Billy).

There are more instruments involved than you may realize at first - accordions, cellos, trumpets and pianos compliment the traditional guitars, bass and drums to create a sound that's not too full and not too sparse, but just right. Goldilocks would be proud.

Playlist: The blues are better in small spaces

Web posted December 2, 2010

By Libby Sterling | Juneau Empire

The blues - we hate when we have them, but love when we hear them. It's hard to have anything but admiration for a genre founded on making lemonade out of some really nasty lemons.

As a musician, my favorite way to experience the blues is from the inside, or at least from as close as I can get to it. If I'm not a part of the jam myself, I want to be as close to its leader as possible as I listen and watch. Blues is an all-inclusive style of music that best exists with no audience - that is, the audience becomes a part of the band, whether their contribution be singing along, tapping their foot or simply nodding their head to the tune. Anyone just sitting still and listening from a distance may be enjoying a good show, but they're missing out on the best part.

It's hard to get personal with blues musicians at a stadium show - hard, but not impossible. When an opportunity comes along to attend a performance in a more intimate venue, one shouldn't rather stay home to shampoo their hair.

So let your heads get greasy, Juneau, because John Lee Hooker Jr. is in town. If you weren't able to catch his performance at Centennial Hall, don't fret because we have the chance to get friendly with him over the next three nights at the Rendezvous. I've sampled Hooker's newest release, "Live In Istanbul Turkey," to get a taste of what we might be in for.

Hooker's talent isn't surprising, as he is the son of one of the legends of the blues, John Lee Hooker. While Jr. has certainly been influenced by his senior, it seems he has infused his own individuality into his music - and Jr. has good taste.

There's nothing worse than an album that is full of songs that are identical - the key of G is lovely the first time and alright the second, but by the third and beyond, our ears crave change. I've come across many blues recordings and performers who are oblivious to the joys of variety, but luckily Hooker is not one of them. Sure, many of his songs sound alike, but such is the way of the blues, and there is definitely enough change from track to track to keep my interest.

"Live In Istanbul Turkey" highlights Hooker's ability to draw in a crowd. He addresses his audience directly on numerous occasions, and encourages their participation. "Doin' The Boogie" is a fine example of this that sounds like fun to me, so if he doesn't play it at the concert, request it.

Catch Hooker at 8 p.m tonight and at 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Rendezvous. Tickets are available in advance and at the door. For details, contact Rendezvous owner Deb Barry at 321-6125.

Playlist: The Meaning of Live

Web posted November 25, 2010

By Libby Sterling | Juneau Empire

The live album — it's no new phenomenon. The first musicians to make recordings did so in a live setting, and they probably never imagined the possibility of the multitrack technology that has now become the norm in the industry. But there's something about capturing the many elements of an unperfected stage performance that keeps the live albums coming.

Bluegrass/country sensations The Avett Brothers like live albums so much that they've put out three, the most recent of which was released last month. After a month of studying "Live Volume 3" in addition to years of listening to their previous releases, I have lots of thoughts.

This is a band whose music takes me to both high and low places, whose songs make me cry one minute and laugh the next. Their ballads are sung with words that reach deep inside me and conjure emotions I didn't even know I was capable of feeling. What's more, their hoedowns are fun-filled and cause every muscle in my body to involuntarily dance along. The Brothers do it all, and they make me want to do it, too.

Having spent so much time with these boys singing their songs in my ears, I have fashioned in my mind how I imagine them to be as people. I've gathered from their soulful, loving lyrics that they must be the most passionate partners a girl could ever want — lovers who say the right things, who sing lyrics that rival those of any love song ever written. Then again, there's always the possibility that they're just faking it all for ratings. If so, they've got a really good gimmick going, and have caused lots of fans to genuinely fall in love with them in the process.

So, after more than a dozen releases, including two other live albums, why release a third? The songs have been heard before, and in their original recordings they can be enjoyed sans screaming audience. Shrieking fans bother me enough at shows, so why would I invite them into my living room?

Charlotte, North Carolina's enthusiasm elevates as the album rolls along. Luckily, they don't sing along with all the words in every song, just the lines that are easy to remember. They offer tumultuous support when an unfixable fib is made in one of the first songs in the show. Their rapturous cheering also buys them a three-song encore. Though less fanatical, the band appears to have just as much fun as the crowd, voicing their appreciation for their fans multiple times throughout the set.

"It's real difficult to sound sincere on a microphone, but we love you all, too, in a very big way," Seth Avett says in response to thunderous applause after the live rendition of one of my favorite tunes of theirs, "When I Drink."

The production quality is a bit higher in this album than in the first two live recordings. Each musician is clearly heard and balanced well with the other stage elements. The clinking of bar glasses that can be heard in "Live Volume 2" don't appear in this latest release, nor does the occasional out-of-tune note with which their first live title is littered.

If it is personality that a listener is seeking in their musicians, they'll find much more of it in a live recording than in a product that has been perfected — and possibly dehumanized — in the studio. "Live Volume 3" contains minimal music recesses between tracks, but each tidbit of banter reveals another side of the music and the songwriters behind it.

The live aspect of each song, sung a bit differently than we're used to hearing it, gives a fresh perspective on tunes that have been spun the same exact way hundreds of times. Here and there, a vocalist will take a liberty, embellish a line, revise a lyric or simply change the emphasis of a certain phrase to breathe new possibilities into interpretation. Songs that have provoked so much thought and emotion in the studio recordings are now taking a second shot at the hearts of their listeners, and their shot is right on target.

I'd still rather see them live with my own eyeballs, but if a live disc is the closest I'm going to get, I'll take it.

'Dance' a delight even for a couch potato

Web posted November 11, 2010

By Libby Sterling | Juneau Empire

Hundreds of fiddlers record albums full of tunes each year. Some write their own original music, while others attempt to play tunes as closely as possible to the way they are traditional rooted. Others still cling to the traditional aspects of tunes they have come to love, but also infuse them with their own spices and interpretations.

Vermont-based Lissa Schneckenburger is a fiddler of the latter persuasion. Her September release, "Dance," features 10 traditional tunes with her twist put on them. She chose to record tunes that have been played by fiddlers over hundreds of years, translating them in her own way to speak to what she called "a new generation of musicians."

From "Petronella" to "Jamie Allen," the album is a delight. As its title implies, these are certainly dance tunes. Each of which is attached to a particular traditional dance of the contra persuasion. But unlike many dance CDs, "Dance" isn't just a marathon of marches. Its pace and tone changes from track to track, walking the line between lively and relaxing and therefore appropriate for both morning and end-of-day listening. So one may spin the disc while lounging on the couch, but it's likely that some of the livelier tracks will at least lead listeners to tap their toes in appreciation.

The fiddle is featured as the album's main voice backed by guitar, but a handful of other instruments are sprinkled here and there for good measure - a walking bass line, a few plinks of a banjo, toots of horns and a piano accordion that plays alongside the fiddle like a good friend.

Schneckenburger will bring the sounds of New England to the far west with series of performances and a workshop in Southeast Alaska. Accompanied by guitarist Bethany Waickman, Schneckenburger will begin this weekend in Sitka with fiddle and guitar workshops at noon at Blatchley Middle School, followed by a 7 p.m. performance at the Sitka Performing Arts Center. Waickman and Schneckenburger will then hit the road for a performance at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Juneau. Their last Alaskan appearance will be Tuesday at the College Coffeehouse in Fairbanks.